British proposals to overhaul European Court are watered down

Sources close to the Justice Sercretary, Kenneth Clarke, insist the Government is pleased with the state of negotiationsPA

The Prime Minister is facing further embarrassment after being forced to water down proposals to overhaul the European Court of Human Rights by the 47 members of the Council of Europe.

The Times has been leaked the latest draft of the agreement which is to be signed later this week when Council of Europe representatives gather in Brighton.

This shows that key British proposals have been dropped or watered down, meaning the court is unlikely to see new powers to reject cases and curb its backlog.

The Times has been passed draft 4 of the communique, released last Thursday, which shows in explicit terms how specific British proposals have been crossed out in red and replaced with new, bland commitments which can be agreed in…